We are baby boomers privileged to enjoy our dream of early retirement while traveling full-time. We recently traded our 2005 37' Allegro Bay for a 2015 DRV Tradition fifth wheel being towed by a 2015 Silverado 3500HD Duramax dually. We are in our ninth year of being on the road. We invite you to join us as we explore this amazing country. and navigate the full-time RV lifestyle. Our heartfelt thanks to our soldiers and their families for their sacrifices to ensure our freedom so that we can pursue our dream.

September 19, 2017

Summer Is Winding Down

Berlin, OH - Events of Friday, September 8 to Friday, September 15, 2017

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. This year, the temperatures took a dive before Labor Day making the holiday itself feel like it was already fall.

Since we were quite busy when Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia visited us the week before and over the Labor Day weekend, we relaxed for most of the week afterward.

On Friday, we ran some errands. One of our stops was at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery. Hershberger's had just started to get a few of their mums in for the fall season when we were there with Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia before Labor Day. However, when we were there on the Friday after Labor Day, they had gotten in many more mums, and they were all decked out for fall.

Selection of beautiful fall mums at Hershberger's

They had pumpkins, squashes, and gourds of just about every size and color.

Large pumpkins, squashes, and gourds

Small gourds

The fact we can see fall approaching means our time in Berlin is growing short. However, due to Hurricane Irma, it's not quite as short as we planned. We originally were going to leave for Florida extra early this year because we (especially Paul) were excited to get back to our new digs at the SKP Florida Co-op. Our departure date was supposed to be Monday, but we decided to hold off at least another week while we wait for power to be restored throughout Florida and for fuel to be available on a reliable basis.

Although there was a good bit of damage from Hurricane Irma in central Florida, we were pleased to learn that there seems to be very little damage at the co-op itself. Power was restored to part of the co-op late last Wednesday evening and to the rest of the co-op late last Friday evening. There are still some fuel shortages all the way up into Georgia, and there's another storm (Maria) in the Atlantic so we will linger here in Ohio as we continue to monitor the situation.

We took a day trip to Pittsburgh last Friday. Unfortunately, J. Michael had to work, but the rest of us headed to Living Treasures Animal Park in New Castle, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour north of where Lora and J. Michael live. Living Treasures first opened in 1992; and in 1997, they opened a second location in Donegal, Pennsylvania, to the east of Pittsburgh. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 62 and over, and $13 for kids. However, Lora had gotten tickets for free admission.

Living Treasures is a lot like the Farm at Walnut Creek in Ohio that we visited with Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia last year and that they visited again when they were staying at Scenic Hills with us again this year. There are exotic animals like leopards, giraffes, and snakes as well as more familiar animals like deer, rabbits, and goats.

Visitors can purchase food to feed most of the less exotic animals like the fallow deer shown in the next photo.

Lydia feeding the fallow deer

Some of the animals, like the deer above and the goats below, are gentle enough to eat right out of your hand.

Lydia feeding the goats

The goats are even gentle enough that you can go right into the pen with them. You have to be a little careful if you're carrying food because they will try to steal it from you. You also have to be careful where you step. In the next photo, Lydia is doing the "barnyard shuffle" to try to get the goat poop off her shoe.

Lydia doing the "barnyard shuffle"

The Highland cattle are also gentle enough to feed by hand.

Highland cattle begging for food

However, as you can see by the expression on Lora's face, feeding the Highland cattle can be a bit messy because it's easy to get slimed by that big tongue.

Eeeeeew!

Some of the animals, like the Red River hog from Africa shown in the next photo apparently aren't gentle enough to feed by hand, but you can send the food down a chute.

Lydia feeding a Red River hog

The Watusi cattle in the next photo makes a Texas longhorn look like small potatoes.

Watusi cattle

The giraffes can be fed at specific times during the day, and we made sure we got to their pen for the 1:00 feeding.

Lora and Lydia feeding one of the giraffes

Giraffes have a prehensile tongue, which means they can use their tongues to grasp things. They can stick their tongue way out...

Giraffe using its prehensile tongue

...and curl it around to grasp food.

Giraffe grasping a carrot with its tongue

Marmosets are members of the monkey family from South America. They kept taking turns running up to the glass and staring at Paul. Maybe they thought he was a relative.

Marmoset

There is also a small playground at the animal park with a wooden pirate ship and a couple of slides that Lydia liked. Adjacent to the playground was a large, wooden carving of a tortoise that Lydia pretended to feed.

Lydia pretending to feed a wooden tortoise

Also adjacent to the playground was a fiberglass gorilla. Paul took care of feeding him.

Paul pretending to feed the fiberglass gorilla

Living Treasures has numerous hand-sanitizing stations throughout the park, and we used them frequently. They also have a hand-washing station right by the exit. We also made sure we used that before heading to the car. Back at Lora and J. Michael's house, we had a nice dinner of pizza and hoagies from Hunner's Pizza when J. Michael got home from work. Afterward, we headed back to Scenic Hills.

As we said, we'll continue monitoring fuel shortages and the new hurricane over the coming week or two before heading to Florida. During that time, we'll be hitting many of our favorite eateries before we head out. Stay tuned.

September 11, 2017

A Visit From Family Part II: Akron Children's Museum

Berlin, OH - Events of Thursday, August 31 to Monday, September 4, 2017

With Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia here at Scenic Hills with us for the week all the way through Labor Day, we were looking for things that would keep Lydia occupied. Therefore, we all piled into Lora and J. Michael's car last Thursday and took Lydia to the Akron Children's Museum. The museum, while not nearly as big as the one in Pittsburgh, still has plenty of activities for kids that inspire creativity, exploration, and learning. Admission is $5 for kids and adults. Children 12 months and younger are free.

One of Lydia's favorite areas at the museum was Farm to Table. Kids can pick apples from a tree (plastic apples held to the tree by Velcro) and deliver them to the produce store. At the produce store, they can shop for all kinds of produce.

Lydia shopping for produce

While Lydia had fun pushing the shopping cart and loading it with produce, she really liked operating the cash register at the checkout.

Lydia working the checkout at produce store

Adjacent to the produce store is Grammie's Kitchen. It is set up as a diner complete with a cooking area with all sorts of pots, pans, toy appliances, plates, and utensils. There is also a lunch counter with several stools. Margery volunteered to be the waitress.

Our waitress

Lydia and J. Michael at the lunch counter

The museum wasn't very crowded the day we were there. That was nice not only because it made it easier for Lydia to play, but also because the adults could join in. The next area was the Curtain Call Theater where there was an assortment of costumes for kids to use to act out plays. A couple of the adults tried on costumes in order to encourage Lydia to participate.

Paul in his safety gear

Aaaaarrrg

Soon Lydia joined in.

Lydia checking out costumes

With her costume selected, Lydia took her place on the stage. The curtains opened...

Lydia opening the curtains

...and Lydia performed a lively dance number.

Lydia dancing

Not to be outdone, Margery and J. Michael donned costumes of a construction worker and a police officer to become two of the Village People. They gave us a performance of "YMCA."

Two of the Village People performing "YMCA"

From the stage, we moved on to the wind tunnel area where fans blow pieces of lightweight fabric through plastic tubes.

Several kids watching in amazement as a fan blows pieces of fabric up a plastic tube

Paul was a little disappointed he couldn't get Lydia interested in the giant Legos, so he set out to build a fort on his own. Like we said, it wasn't very crowded so the adults got to play, too.

Paul building a fort from giant Legos

We spent a couple of hours at the Akron Children's Museum, but Lydia still wasn't ready to leave. However, the rest of us were pretty hungry so we headed to our next stop - Papa Gyros Greek restaurant. One of Papa Gyros' four locations is just off I-77 in the Belden Village area of Canton, Ohio, which was not very far from the museum.

We started off our meal with two orders of saganaki as appetizers. Saganaki is fried cheese served flaming at your table to shouts of "Opa." We all had "authentic" gyros with traditional lamb/beef gyro meat ($6.89 without feta cheese, $6.99 with feta). Other types of gyros are available including Cajun, barbecue, and Philly cheese steak. The gyros are piled so high they can't even wrap them up. They are served open-faced, and if you want to eat it as a wrap, you have to eat half the filling with a fork first. We all agreed the gyros were just about the best any of us can ever remember having.

Lora, Lydia, J. Michael, and Margery at Papa Gyros

Back at Scenic Hills, we relaxed with a campfire in the evening.

On Friday, Lora and J. Michael took Lydia to the Farm at Walnut Creek. The farm features animals from all over the world. There is also a non-electric, Amish farm house and numerous domestic animals. Since we went to the farm with Lydia last year, we decided to skip it this year and make a trip to Walnut Creek Cheese to pick up some groceries instead. Click here if you want to read about our visit to the Farm at Walnut Creek last year. We relaxed around the rig in the afternoon, and Margery whipped up some chicken breasts smothered in Swiss cheese sauce for dinner. Yum!

On Saturday, we went out to the Holmes County Flea Market located just down the road from the campground. Afterwards, we made a few other stops before heading back to Scenic Hills for Lydia's afternoon quiet time. We went to La Palma Mexican Restaurant in Millersburg for dinner where we had a variety of dishes like fajitas, a chili relleno, chimichangas, and burritos. Everything was delish!

Lora and J. Michael took Lydia miniature golfing early on Sunday afternoon while we stayed back at the RV park. We were going to grill burgers for dinner, but somebody mentioned the delicious chicken strips and French fries at Park Street Pizza, so we changed our plans and headed there instead. We ended up getting a number of items to share including a small order of Buffalo wings; a medium order of boneless chicken wings (essentially chicken nuggets) with three different dipping sauces; an order of loaded fries that were covered with cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and bacon; and an order of bread sticks topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses with marinara sauce for dipping. It was so good, we followed it up with another order of bread sticks. We capped off our evening with a short campfire before Lydia headed off to bed and we headed back to our rig.

On Monday morning, Lora and J. Michael started the task of packing up. When they were just about ready to go except for the final hooking up of the trailer, they took a break so we could all enjoy the delicious chorizo sausage casserole and low-carb snickerdoodle cake Margery made for breakfast.

After breakfast and after they hitched up, it was time to say "good-by." We had a great time spending the week with family.

September 05, 2017

A Visit From Family Part I: Baylor Beach, Hershberger's, and Christmas Run Park

Berlin, OH - Events of Friday, August 25 to Wednesday, August 30, 2017

On Friday, August 25, Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia pulled into the site behind us at Scenic Hills in the early evening. They would be spending the week with us all the way through Labor Day. We watched Lydia while they got set up, then we all shared a delicious dinner Margery had made of sausage, peppers and zoodles. For those who don't know, zoodles are noodles made from zucchini. Zoodles make a delicious, gluten-free, carb-free substitute for noodles and spaghetti. Lora and J. Michael gave Margery a Spiralizer for her birthday last year so we have zoodles frequently. The Spiralizer can also be used with vegetables other than zucchini like carrots, radishes, beets, and potatoes (think curly fries). Interchangeable blades cut vegetables into fat, thin, or flat spirals.

First thing on Saturday morning, we headed out to Der Dutchman for their breakfast buffet. After breakfast, we stopped at the Walnut Creek Flea Market where we couldn't resist trying on some fun items and modeling them for the camera.

Lydia trying on a butterfly mask at the flea market

Margery modeling a very fashionable sun hat

After the flea market, we made a couple of other stops then headed back to Scenic Hills for Lydia to have her afternoon quiet time. She doesn't nap anymore, but she will usually spend an hour or so in her crib playing relatively quietly by herself which gives Lora a much-needed break every day.

On Sunday, we headed to nearby Beach City to Baylor Beach. Baylor Beach has a two-acre swimming lake with a water park, picnic facilities and campground. Admission to the water park and picnic area is $7 on weekdays and $8 on weekends. Seniors get a $1 discount, and kids age 3 and under are free. There is a separate 1-acre lake with paddle boats (extra cost), and there is a miniature golf course (also extra cost). Baylor Beach has been family owned and operated since 1954.

Baylor Beach

Lydia heading into the water at Baylor Beach

Lydia walking across the mini log roller with a little help

Lydia and J. Michael playing on the whale

Over on the other side of the lake is a playground. Of course, Lydia had to try that out, too.

Lydia climbing a ladder

Down we go!

There was hazy sun, and the air was warm, but it wasn't what you would call hot. However, like most kids, Lydia really loves the water and didn't care one bit that the water was a little on the cool side. After spending a couple of hours in the water, it was time to get out and play in the sand a while to give the adults time to dry off and warm up before changing out of their bathing suits to head back to the RV park.

Playing in the sand

On the way back to Scenic Hills, we stopped at Park Street Pizza. We had a large pizza with Italian sausage and mushrooms, and Lora and J. Michael had one with pepperoni and extra cheese. Lydia had chicken strips and fries. She's not a real big eater, so the adults all got to try some of her chicken and fries. Everything was delish! Park Street Pizza uses all fresh, local ingredients wherever possible, and it really makes their food stand out.

J. Michael had to go back to work on Monday take care of some important business, so the rest of us all headed to downtown Berlin later in the morning just to walk around and browse some of the shops. J. Michael got finished up at work early enough to meet us at Der Dutchman for the salad bar for dinner on his way back to Berlin.

Lydia loved the baby goat in the next photo. She wanted to take it home.

Lydia hugging a baby goat

A trip to Christmas Run Park in nearby Wooster was on the agenda for Wednesday. We found it last year when we went looking for an alternative to an indoor playland we were planning to go that ended up being closed. Christmas Run Park has a rustic theme with fiberglass logs and boulders the kids can climb on and crawl through. Lydia was much more agile this year than she was last and was able to do a lot more climbing by herself.

Lydia in the treehouse

Lydia coming down the roller slide

Lydia on another slide

Lydia's favorite thing at the park was a zip line ride that she was too small for last year. It has a seat suspended from an overhead track that dips down in the middle. She rode it too many times to count.

Lydia riding the zip line

Lora was the only adult with enough nerve to try the zip line.

Lora trying the zip line

After we left the park, we stopped for a late lunch at Smoke the Burger Joint at their new location in Wooster. The last time we were at Smoke, we redeemed a text coupon we had gotten for a free milkshake. This time, Lora had one on her phone. There was no way we were going to sit by and watch while Lora and J. Michael shared a milkshake for dessert so we got one, too. The milkshakes at Smoke are large, very thick, and delicious.

We didn't think the cleanliness of this restaurant or the friendliness of the staff was up to the high standard of the other Smoke locations we have been to previously in Massillon and North Canton. It's not that it was bad, it's just wasn't as terrific as it was at the other two locations. Maybe it was because we got there around 2:00 and the staff was still feeling a little hassled from the lunch rush and they didn't have time to finish cleaning up yet. At any rate, the burgers, fries, and milkshakes were still as delicious as they always are.

Our week long adventure with Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia continued. We'll tell you more in our next post.